1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to urns for the disposal of the ash remains of cremated bodies and more particularly to biodegradeable funerary urns which will decompose into an environmentally safe material after prolonged contact with moisture or submersion in water.
2. Background of the Art
One of the first practices which distinguish developing cultures is the respect shown to the environment and to the remains of the dead. Most cultures and religions have developed their own distinctive formalities and requirements with respect to the treatment of the remains of the dead, but only the more naturalistic religions are there specific doctrines or practice which relate to the relationship of people and the environment described in basic religious practice.
Most of the religions which predominate in western culture practice burial rituals in the consecration of the remains of the departed. With the dramatic increases in population throughout the world, however, the cost and large areas of land use for burial practice have led to serious concerns about the desirability of interment as a continuing practice. Many religions and cultures have identified cremation as a means of reducing the space requirements for burial and for reducing the costs of burial practices. The reduction in volume of the remains, from an average of 1 cubic meter to 0.25 (1/4) cubic meters or less of actual ash, and the reduction of typical containment vessels (e.g., coffins) from 2.5 to 3 cubic meters down to about 0.3 cubic meters or less for urns offers at least the opportunity for reducing the space requirements for interment facilities, whether they be classic earth interment (burial) or more recently introduced compartmentalized facilities where caskets are housed in building structures. Only recently, the ashes of some individuals have been orbited around the Earth, with an expectation that their urns will incinerate upon reentry into the atmosphere after many years. This is a costly method of positioning remains for disposal and adds to the clutter in space about the Earth. Although these techniques improve land use space efficiency in funeral practices, the reduction or elimination of any land requirements, or the ability to turn over land use for burial would be desirable. Even though the open scattering of ashes has been accepted by many people, there is significant resistance to this practice.
Cremation has been practiced by many different religions and cultures and has involved either simple burning and distribution of the ashes or more elaborate ceremonial events with confining structures burned along with the remains. Such practices have involved, for example, either simple pyres upon which the remains and fuel have been stacked